Reflections, resources and musings on faith, spirituality, ministry, youth work, chaplaincy and the rest of life by Paul and Sally Nash

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Wondering Wednesdays – Jo March and the Gettysburg Address

Of all the very many books that enlightened my childhood and adolescence I think Little Women is my favourite. It’s on my Kindle and I revisit it from time to time. I had my Mum’s copy, a nice fat hardback book with thick paper – a pre-war edition I imagine.

I am fascinated by the fact that I have never asked anyone who their favourite sister was without the answer being Jo. Do all women like her best or does it reflect the sort of people I discuss books with?! I loved her as a child – independent, a bit of a tomboy, willing to make different choices and to sacrifice for her family. She also likes reading and writing both of which are activities that nurture me. I am sure many of us read who we are or who we want to be into our heroines if I hold up a mirror to Jo I see quite a lot of what I wanted to be.

One of my favourite Friends episodes (Series 3.13) is where Joey is reading the book and cries when Beth dies and when he asks Rachel how little the women are – scary little! One of my greatest joys is reading a book for the first time when I don’t know what is going to happen and seeing the story unfold. Despite that I still enjoy reading the book and seeing the films.

I won’t critique the other sisters as I am spending a lot of time thinking about different but equal and valuing in others qualities I lack. I am also writing this on the day (19th November) of the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg address and Little Women is set at the time of the Civil War. Lincoln spoke about all being created equal (missing out the word men as it grates!) and that underpinning the foundation of the USA and how important it was that soldiers had not died in vain. I don’t want to say that Jo is more equal than others – Animal Farm is another significant novel for me!

Reading Little Women almost feels like a step on my formation journey I learnt lessons from life as I could resonate with the characters. It is one of the reasons I sometimes lament the lack of stories of women in the Bible personally it is easier for me to identify with a woman and see something of my experience in hers.

I have been editing a chapter on identity development today written by a woman, perhaps that is what sparked this memory. But as I wonder this Wednesday about other things that have shaped me I am grateful for Jo.

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One thought on “Wondering Wednesdays – Jo March and the Gettysburg Address”

Hmmmmm – you’ve really provoked a long and deep rooted memory here Sally. Its also on my Kindle so I’m heading back to it tonight as I cosy in against the storms. My heart has also been so heavy around the women debates, research and battles of the last few weeks – as well as over the years. I guess each generation has to revisit the topic for themselves but I am still part of this generation! Some days I fear that I may have done other women a disservice when I had opportunity to be a speaker back then….. not being ‘good enough’ instead of the outstanding that one clearly had to be. I often wonder though at the way in which I ‘learned’ to deny my femininity in those days….. deep messages of gender value from childhood, from church, and from the theological world too. Add in the lack of biological mothering and perhaps its no wonder that characters like Jo are so attractive. And what is it about the name Jo? – she was also the most exciting character in the amazing Chalet School adventures too! We know next to nothing about the biblical Joanna…… and not enough about any of the other ‘little women’ of the Bible. – and I often recall the old Rabbinical teaching ‘ Rather let the words of the Law be burnt than put into the hands of a woman’.